Caprese Shells and Mini Meatballs

When I saw these mini meatballs I just had to make them.  Something about this meal is just so cute! Right?  I love the combination of tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil so this was a huge winner in my book! Recipe is slightly adapted from  How Sweet It Is.

Meatballs
1 lb lean ground beef
1 large egg (slightly beaten)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

Pasta
1 1/2 pounds whole wheat pasta shells
1 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 pint grape tomatos (quartered)
10 fresh basil leaves (chopped)
1 cup ciliegine (mini fresh mozzarella balls) or 1 cup of diced fresh mozzarella
freshly grated parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 400. In a large bowl combine ground beef, egg, olive oil, 1/3 cup of parmesan cheese, 1 minced garlic cloves, dried basil, dried parsley, salt, pepper and panko.  Using a teaspoon form small meatballs and place in a greased baking dish.  Bake for 20 minutes.

While meatballs are baking, boil pasta.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat and saute garlic in olive oil until fragrant (about 1 minute). Toss in the diced tomatoes, grape tomatoes and basil.  Add 1/3 cup of pasta water to the tomato mixture then drain pasta once it is cooked. Add the pasta and meatballs and turn off the heat. Stir in the fresh mozzarella and serve with a bit of parmesan on top.